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Nigeria: Diminished By Greed! By Ugochukwu Ejinkeonye Now, the truth we can no longer afford to deny today is that anybody, in fact, any animal can rule Nigeria. I mean that even a baboon can be Nigeria’s president or governor. It is that simple! All it will take, after all, is for the baboon to get a Maurice Iwu to rig him in and then learn the simple art of stuffing dirty bags with dirty naira notes and delivering them at the appropriate quarters and at the appropriate time, and Nigeria is his to pillage and desecrate as he likes any day! Details
My group of Nigerian friends who sat together with melancholy glued to their countenances on that cold winter morning at the popular Nigerian Restaurant in Canning Town, East London, probably underestimated the depth of social decadence and violence sweeping through our nation. This gathering was far back in 1986 following the unexplained parcel bomb death of Dele Giwa. In retrospect, they were unprepared for the social mayhem that this despicable act unfolded in the country. Nigeria has of today turned to a graveyard of sort for her children where life is cheap and meaningless. Details
That Nigeria May Heal. By Leonard Karshima Shilgba, PhD I have watched with an amalgam of awe, concern, and interest as Nigerian politicians have made and broken alliances, built up and ruined coalitions, and renewed once broken political courtships. In 2009 I sent a private mail to one of our political gladiators, whom I considered to be among the “progressives” in Nigeria, urging upon him and his colleagues the need to ignore the distraction of a “Mega party.” I am sure that some damage has been done to his political party already. The legendary political flirtation of Nigerian politicians, for nothing more than pecuniary interest, has rather weakened the foundations of our democracy, which in the first place were poorly made. Details
Strategies for Effective Language Policy for National Development. By Kawu Bala Over the past few years, Nigeria is being confronted by the grim and damning realities of her worsening education standard in the failure ration dished out to States by the two examination bodies. It’s safe now to say that it has become ritual by each passing year; and as a nation there ought to be a fundamental question: What are we going to do? If we are serious, at least we have been alerted by these statistics. Though we are a people that down play the essence of statistics, even statistics coming from our own institutions. Details
Yarima's Marriage: Why All the Propaganda? By Yusuf Dingyadi but the questions all is expecting them to answer are: Is Muslim permitted or not to marry a 13-year old girl? Is Yarima’s action a taboo or not in Northern Nigerian context? Is this the first time such an act is committed in the Muslim Hausa setting or is it a normal cultural practice? Details
The Story Of Abubakar Rimi’s Experiments With Truth. By Khalid Imam It is indeed true that life is an astonishing odyssey which every mortal experiences once in his/her life time. And the journey of a life time is, without qualms, not only transient, but so mysterious to be fully comprehended by human minds, unless one mystically submits oneself to the exalted Creator to guide his/her life. Many are lost or ended up squandering the rare opportunity of realising the true essence of life before death calls. Details
Nigeria Mass Media - The Fourth Estate of Graft. By Dr. Olusegun Fakoya The dark clouds hanging over the Nigerian nation have refused to lift. However, nature in its extreme kindness continues to shine light over areas of our national life that symbolise supreme decay. The recent juicy stories of corruption and mega-corruption filtering into public domain fall into such. Details
The Demolition Of Kofar Na Isa And The Challenge Of Re Constructing History. By Attahiru Muazu Gusau Edifices like the Kofar Na Isa should’nt have been demolished under any circumstance. Besides destroying the glorious legacy of our forbears we have obstructed the path of reconstructing the past by researchers and completely effaced the tourist value of the ancient city. Moreover, by demolishing a 200 years old monument we have successfully depicted ourselves to the world as a nation of fools who have no respect for their History and culture. Details
Jonathan and 2011 elections. By Shehu Mustapha Chaji Jonathan up till now has not informed Nigerians of his intensions regarding his presidential ambition in 2011, aside of making some comments that are neither here nor there. Will he abide by his party, PDP’s rotational arrangement? And if not, how does he want Nigerians to view him? Or, if he decides to contest for presidency in 2011 what guarantee do Nigerians have that he will not rig the elections in his favour? And finally what will he lose by being an unbiased umpire, by not contesting, but concerned only with conducting an election that will be acceptable by most Nigerians and international community? Details
Maurice Iwu, Gov Lamido and the Survival of Democracy in Jigawa State. By Adamu Muh’d Usman It was last week the Jigawa State governor, Alhaji Sule Lamido was quoted saying that, anybody asking and insisting that, the INEC boss Pro. Maurice Iwu to vacate from his seat, they should as well ask the president, governors and other elected offices to relinquish their positions as well, this is because, they were all voted in, under the supervision of Maurice Iwu. So, governor Lamido is now trying to prove himself that he is a true democrat! Details
On Nigeria: When Religious Leaders Too Have Become Pawns. By Leonard Karshima Shilgba, PhD For months, Nigerians have witnessed and complained at the cavalier attitude with which the Nigerian first family treated them (and they are still being ignored). We were lied to severally; the stability of the nation was threatened by the negligence of this family. And I thought to myself; if the president’s people are claiming that the president was “recuperating”, “watching soccer”, “exercising for more than 20 minutes a day”, “walking around in Aso Rock garden, watching birds and playing with animals”, “taking coffee with cousins”, and “would resume work next week”, then why should I “pray for him”? Details
Rimi and the Hypocrisy of Nigerian Elites. By Kabiru Tsakuwa Isn’t it hypocritical inundating the people now with tales about his colourful qualities and finer traits that many knew to be true but which was so much abhorred and disliked by the retrogressive elements who having held the country by the jugular since the attainment of self rule have only succeeded in entrenching despair, and aggravated insecurity in the land? Details
Rimi and the Metaphor of the Wasp. By Abdullah Musa It is most ironic however that Nigerian politics never really grew to the level expected by Rimi. Southerners proved Aminu Kano right when they stuck with the idea that the only good Northerner was one without political power. Details
Abubakar Rimi: A Political Falcon Falls. By Isa Muhammad Inuwa I heard some people saying that Rimi died “in action”, that is to say, he continued and maintained his revolutionary and radical posture as from his youth-hood up till his elderly days and his subsequent death. This is very much rare with many people. The fact is that majority of people tend to soft-pedal and become less active as they grow older and pass through range of official and political posts. Details
Sheikh Ja’afar Adam: Three Years On. By Ali Alhaji Ibrahim It is now three years since the brutal killing of Sheikh Ja’afar Mahmud Adam, the Kano based erudite Islamic scholar of international repute. He fell to assassin’s bullet in the early hours of Friday April 13, 2007 while leading the early morning (subhi) prayers at the Dorayi Juma’at mosque in Kano North western Nigeria. Details
The Economics of Electric Power Supply In Nigeria. By Musa D. Abdullahi Use of private generators to supplement external supply or cutting down demand (by load shedding or closing shop), to reduce shortfall, is not only inimical to social, economic and technological development but verging on criminality. The low distribution voltages and disruptions, due to frequent switching off and on, are deleterious to sensitive equipment, especially those with moving parts. Details
Yar'adua Illiness And The Cracks On The Nigerian State Wall. By Ibrahim Ayagi No thanks to the imprudent, unpopular and undemocratic decision of rotational presidency by the people Democratic Party (PDP). Leadership position in a civilized democracy is open to every body at all times base on one’s competence, ability, honesty, intelligence and charisma etc. But since the return to civil rule in 1999, after the protracted military rule, appointments having been made base on regional, religious or ethnic considerations, which grossly negate the basic tenets of democracy and smudges its beauty. Details
PDP Zoning And Majority Rule In A Democracy. By Leonard Karshima Shilgba, PhD The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has an arrangement for zoning elective political positions to specific geo-political regions within specific periods of time. Naturally, there are three questions that require an analytic enquiry and investigation: Is this practice in conflict with the provisions of the Nigerian constitution? Can this provision prevent a free-born Nigerian from, at any time of his or her choosing, aspiring to, freely contesting for, and occupying an elective office for which he is constitutionally qualified in a given period of time? Does this tradition of the PDP not preclude fair play in a democracy, which constitutionally recognizes majority votes in determination of issues of governance, and majority rule as the consequence thereof? Details
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